Last edited 14 Mar 2017

High House

In March 2017, French architectural practice Delordinaire completed a winter chalet 'High House', in the Quebec countryside.

The chalet adopts a form of elevated stilt construction more commonly found in warmer climates or in flood zones. The stilts lift the building above a sheltered ground floor area with an outdoor stove. This outdoor space is loosely defined by the cross-bracing of the stilts around the perimeter of the building.

The stilts also raise the house itself above the surrounding tree line to provide interrupted views of the nearby Mont Sainte Anne ski resort.

The external surfaces are clad in panels of white concrete and corrugated metal, creating a crisp gabled outline that blends into the white landscape. The wooden substructure is left exposed in the interior to create warm-toned living spaces.

The ends and flanks of the chalet include large windows allowing natural light into the interior throughout the day, with the largest window spanning from floor to ceiling.

A narrow black staircase leads up from the outdoor living space through a translucent well into the modest interior, which contains a pair of bedrooms, a bathroom and an open-plan lounge and kitchen.